For the last many years, very alarming reports started to appear in the media about the ill treatment of Uyghurs who are Muslim, by the Chinese authorities. This governmental crackdown campaign consists of public burning of Quran, forced eating of pork, removal of youth from home, establishment of “re-education camps” with over a 1 million detainees and mass indoctrination to stamp out religious thoughts, shared among the country’s 11 million Uighurs.
The situation is so dire that the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Michelle Bachelet and many intergovernmental, country and NGO representatives officially denounced this alarming situation.
To highlight the plight of oppressed Uyghur minority in China, CAP Liberté de Conscience in partnership with EMISCO and many European and International human rights NGOs arranged an event at the UN offices in Geneva on 5th March 2019.
At this well attended meeting, with the presence of a large contingent of Chinese officials, Secretary General of the European Muslims Initiative for Social Cohesion – EMISCO – Mr. Bashy Quraishy, President of the East Turkestan National Council, Seyit Tümtürk, Jean-Marie Heydt, Honorary President of the Conference of International NGO’s of the Council of Europe, Humeyra Filiz, Psychologist and representative of Ambassador of Hearts and Ayşe Elkılıç, Head of the think-tank ThinkOut in Belgium expressed their deep concern regarding the mistreatment of Uyghurs and asked the Chinese authorities to respect the fundamental rights of its minorities, including freedom of expression, practice of their language, culture and faith as well be treated as equal citizens.
Summing up the views expressed at the event, Bulent Senay, professor at Bursa Uludag University and Former Personal Representative of the OSCE in the fight against Islamophobia concluded: The Chinese Communist Party’s torture camps for the Uyghurs is the most dystopian Islamophobic and racist case of human rights violation.
The organisers and the speakers at this event have brought the plight of an oppressed community at the doorstep of the UN and we hope that an urgent action would be taken to stop this horrendous and inhumane practice by a super power.
We stress that no country, nation or state has the privilege of violating human rights and freedoms which are the most valuable assets of mankind.
